Best Droid / Nexus Apps?

[Knightshade Dragon]

So I finally got my Nexus One - tell me what apps I *must have* on this wonderful wonderful phone. 

[Crux]

The only app I've paid for so far is a car locator one that marks where my car is on gps for large parking lots and airports etc.

Goggles is an absolutely must get-app. You may not use it much, but when you do it is full of win.

Shazam is another good one.

Pandora

And of course the Transformers sound effect app. Nothing makes your day like climbing into your car, pressing a button on your phone and hearing Optimus Prime say "Transformers, roll out".

[jament]

Apps I use a bunch:

DXTop - home screen replacement, 4 screens and a dock for all screens
Google Maps - obviously.  Turn by turn navigation makes Garmins obsolete
Astro Player Beta - to listen to audiobooks; bookmarking and other nice features
Google SkyMap - an amazing app - for stargazing or taking the telescope out in the evenings
Mobisle Notes Free - checklist/note app
Astrid - to-do type task manager, pairs with Pure Calendar for the agenda view
Pure Calendar - both Calendar and Grid - agenda view and the widget are great
SportsTap - ability to set favorite teams, get alerts and see auto-refreshed stats and scoring.  Great app
Slacker - last.fm, slacker, pandora.  All pretty much the same
Backgrounds - free backgrounds, by mood or whatever.  Some good stuff there.
Dolphin Browser - closest to a desktop browser
Handcent SMS - group sends, conversation styles, nice features
PdaNet - to tether my Droid to my MacBook for mobile internet.  Works great.
UltraChron - stopwatch and countdown timers
Ringdroid - to edit mp3's, shortening or whatever to use them as ringtones
Zedge - free ringtones

[lildrgn]

So I finally got my Nexus One - tell me what apps I *must have* on this wonderful wonderful phone. 

Where's the impressions post?

[Knightshade Dragon]

So I finally got my Nexus One - tell me what apps I *must have* on this wonderful wonderful phone. 

Where's the impressions post?

Still getting my head around it.  Soon - very soon. 

[Goldchamp]

Advanced task killer free

[JCC]

Advanced task killer free

I vote against using a task manager of any kind (and I have tried ATKF). I have seen no performance boost from using one, and have read plenty of people complain about instability from using task killers. The fact is that Android is based on Linux and can manage your multitasking just fine on its own. (IMO)

[Graham]

Advanced task killer free

I vote against using a task manager of any kind (and I have tried ATKF). I have seen no performance boost from using one, and have read plenty of people complain about instability from using task killers. The fact is that Android is based on Linux and can manage your multitasking just fine on its own. (IMO)

+1

[LoneStarSpur]

I don't think the App killer is used because Android doesn't handle multiply apps well. It kills apps that aren't being actively used so your battery doesn't get drained so quickly.

Just my experience with it.

[Goldchamp]

Advanced task killer free

I vote against using a task manager of any kind (and I have tried ATKF). I have seen no performance boost from using one, and have read plenty of people complain about instability from using task killers. The fact is that Android is based on Linux and can manage your multitasking just fine on its own. (IMO)

+1

Well, I have heard the concerns, but after a while, if my Eris starts running kind of sluggishly, I can go in and kill all the running apps and it does seem to help my handset run more smoothly. Guess it depends on the phone. And no it does not turn the phones radio off.

[jersoc]

Bebbled is the best free game.

[motodd]

Advanced task killer free

I vote against using a task manager of any kind (and I have tried ATKF). I have seen no performance boost from using one, and have read plenty of people complain about instability from using task killers. The fact is that Android is based on Linux and can manage your multitasking just fine on its own. (IMO)

A task killer app is a must if you have a G1.

As for apps I recommend Twidroid if you use twitter, Net Counter if you want to see your data usage, Shazam for the "That's Cool!" factor and SnapPhotoPro for a better camera app. Although I am unsure if this app is compatible with the Nexus One.

The navigation on Google Maps is top notch for a free GPS nav app as well.

[Fireball1244]

Twidroid is pretty crappy, compared to Tweetie on the iPhone. In fact, all the apps are crappy compared to apps on the iPhone. I hope you like your Nexus. I would pay a lot of money to be able to have an iPhone again. Verizon is a great network, but if the Droid is indicative of what the Android OS is going to be like going forward, count me out.

[TheMissingLink]

Twidroid sucks, go with Seesmic. Way quicker. Doesn't crash every other time you open it up.

[Knightshade Dragon]

I would pay a lot of money to be able to have an iPhone again.

You would eh?  I have a 8GB and a 16GB iPhone just WAITING to be sold.....

So far I'm loving the Nexus.  It does everything I have wanted it to do so far.  My only complaint was already somewhat addressed here - it's a pretty barren landscape for gaming.  Not a huge deal for me - the integration of all things Google is more what I was interested in, and man oh man does it do that with style. 

[Fireball1244]

I would pay a lot of money to be able to have an iPhone again.

You would eh?  I have a 8GB and a 16GB iPhone just WAITING to be sold.....

Oh, I have one in my pocket, a 32GB 3Gs. But AT&T service is so bad in Irving, Texas, that I can't use it as my phone.

So far I'm loving the Nexus.  It does everything I have wanted it to do so far.  My only complaint was already somewhat addressed here - it's a pretty barren landscape for gaming.  Not a huge deal for me - the integration of all things Google is more what I was interested in, and man oh man does it do that with style. 

Glad to hear that. Hope you continue to be happy with it!

[lildrgn]

Ron: impressions already. Detailed, like.

[leo8877]

Ron: impressions already. Detailed, like.

+1, I would like to know as well.

[Knightshade Dragon]

Ok, so some impressions on the Nexus One.   Bullet form is fun, so let's do that:

overnight shipping is free when you order the phone
tracking information courtesy of Google Checkout
Integration with GMail was absolutely painless.  I signed in like I would on the website and bam - all my mail instantly worked.  The sync took about 3 minutes with my mail continuing to work during that time.
Automatically pulled my Picassa information and gave me access to those via the gallery system.
When setting up my T-Mobile voice mail, Google voice said "Uh hey...would you rather use Google Voice for your voice mail?"  I said yes and it set it up for me.  No settings needed. 
Speaking of Google Voice, my phone asks "Would you like to place this with or without Google Voice?" and lets me set my answer as a default.  I don't think I've used any minutes since I got this phone...
3G service via T-Mobile in Phoenix is great, in my experience.  Lots of speed and I've not lost 3G except when I was inside a server room with tons of EMF.
This phone is lightning fast.  1Ghz Processor Nexus One > 550Mhz Processor Droid > 600Mhz Processor iPhone 3Gs > 550MHz Processor iPhone original.
Multiple email account management.  The phone actively monitors multiple email accounts and notifies you via sound, a pulsing LED, or both that you have mail. 
Resolution on the Nexus one is 800x480.   Resolution on the iPhone3GS is 320x480
5 megapixel camera that does video right out of the box.  Awesome.
Google Maps + true GPS = win!  Having all the power of Google Maps including street view is very cool. 
I can open the case, change the battery, and upgrade the storage memory.  Awesome.
Loading music is simple.  Plug in USB, little notification pops on the phone, click "Mount" (it is Linux), and then you can open the card and drag in your music, pictures, podcasts, whatever.
Voice Search is very useful.  I'm surprised how useful.
I charge my phone every day but I use is constantly.  Watching the little battery indicator, I don't think I've seen it at less than 70%.
Tactile response.  You can turn on all sorts of little vibrations as tactile responses to your clicking about.  I like it for the lock screen.
Contacts are managed via Google.  I'm not sure if that's how it is on the Droid or other Android phones, but any changes I make in Google are instantly reflected on the phone.  The same goes with email. 
Multitouch was just added to the OS and it works pretty much the same way it does on the iPhone.  Very handy.
Lots of 'neat' features like being able to scan a barcode, Shazam a song, or read a book function pretty much the same as they did on the iPhone. 



No way to secure a folder or hide it without root access, which busts your warranty.   What if I don't want all of my images visible.   
I just got a Sennheisen VMX100 Bluetooth headset.  This phone can't see it at all and I see nothing on the tubes about it. 
The Marketplace is barren for good games.  No Plants vs. Zombies, no Bookworm, no Popcap at all!  Lots of knockoffs, few quality games.
Strange limitation on having apps only load to internal memory, not the storage memory.  This can become an issue over time I'd imagine.
Not a fan of the default music player.  Lacks in features.  Off to the Marketplace to find alternatives.
There is little point or I've just not found much for the little nub.  It's useful on the web to scroll quickly, but it's hardly used otherwise.
The back, stuff, home, and search buttons are very easy to hit while texting.  Thankfully a draft is constantly saved while you are doing data entry, so it's not a huge deal, but I've bumped those a few times while getting used to the phone.


That's all I've seen so far.       Thus far, I'm totally loving this phone!

[leo8877]

Nice impressions, thank you!

[Kevin Grey]

Lots of 'neat' features like being able to scan a barcode, Shazam a song, or read a book function pretty much the same as they did on the iPhone. 

I use eReader for ebooks and while it is serviceable it isn't nearly as nice as the Kindle app for iPhone.

thumbsdown: Not a fan of the default music player.  Lacks in features.  Off to the Marketplace to find alternatives.

I'm rather fond of MixZing Lite myself. 

[jersoc]

you forgot
  not an apple product

[ROTC1983]

you forgot
  not an apple product

Just had to put that in there 

Loving the Nexus One I have but I return to my iPhone because the integration with my computer is much better.  Also, Omnifocus apps are only Apple platform and I love their software.  Still keeping the Nexus One around for my google integration and tethering though.  See, both can live together, no need to talk down about either

[JCC]

The best thing about the Nexus One and Droid is that I hope it will force Apple to step up their game some. The iPhone still does many (if not most) things better than the Droid/Nexus One, but definitely not everything. The iPhone needs to learn from the cool user customization of Android phones. The stock Apple screen is now fugly looking. Also, while I used to love to surf the web on my iPod Touch, I can't stand it anymore due to how much smaller and lower res the screen is than my Droid. I would love to consider an iPhone if its available for Verizon in a couple years when I can get a new phone, but I won't unless Apple makes some improvements.

[Bullwinkle]

If Google had made the app/game thing a priority out of the gate, they'd have a chance at toppling the iPhone (well, maybe not "topple" given their install base), but they are so significantly behind, it's going to be an uphill battle.

On this front, the Windows 7 phones look like they're going to come out swinging.  Damn, I wish those were coming soon.

[PaulBot]

KD: great writeup! Keep the impressions coming as you find apps you want.

So what's the absolute CHEAPEST monthly rate for one of them thar beauties?

[ROTC1983]

KD: great writeup! Keep the impressions coming as you find apps you want.

So what's the absolute CHEAPEST monthly rate for one of them thar beauties?

I think it is around 59 dollars.  Once you add all of the fees, it is around 70 dollars.  You will have to pay for phone unsubsidized, but you will save a lot of money over the life of the phone.  If get it subsidized, the cost of the plan goes to 79 dollars + fees but the cost of the phone is much cheaper.

[corruptrelic]

I would pay a lot of money to be able to have an iPhone again.

You would eh?  I have a 8GB and a 16GB iPhone just WAITING to be sold.....

So far I'm loving the Nexus.  It does everything I have wanted it to do so far.  My only complaint was already somewhat addressed here - it's a pretty barren landscape for gaming.  Not a huge deal for me - the integration of all things Google is more what I was interested in, and man oh man does it do that with style. 

Check out Project INF in the Android Marketplace. (Free)

24 players online in real-time battle with 3 different classes to choose from. You gain experience till you max out at level 50 (I'm at 22 right now). Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag.

[Jag]

I love my Droid. Just spent a week in Colorado skiing with it and it passed the abuse test. GPS and phone worked out in the deep woods and wowed my group when I whipped out Google Sky to identify the stars.

My only purchases so far are Beautiful Widgets



and Robo Defense



My favorite app by far is PDAnet. Free tethering on my laptop so i can play WoW anywhere. (including work with a keyboard switch b/t my laptop and work PC)

Google Goggles wins the 'cool' factor and is the app i use to destroy iPhone fanbois

For gaming, check out this video of 50 Droid games in one video:
http://androidhd.blogspot.com/2010/01/50-android-games-in-one-video.html

[lildrgn]

Thinking of getting one of these or a mytouch 3g. Since the mt3g is Android too, will it run the same apps as the Nexus One? Anyone have a MT3g that can chime in?

/derail off

[Crux]

Anyone get their company outlook mail working on their droid? I really should make this happen somehow, but don't want to buy 5 different apps to find half of them suck.

[Knightshade Dragon]

Anyone get their company outlook mail working on their droid? I really should make this happen somehow, but don't want to buy 5 different apps to find half of them suck.

I was planning to do this today.  I want to stop carrying my Blackberry as well as my Nexus.

[JCC]

Anyone get their company outlook mail working on their droid? I really should make this happen somehow, but don't want to buy 5 different apps to find half of them suck.

I use my company's outlook email address with no problem. I did need to find some of the server info from my company's intranet website. (I used their iPhone guide to set it up with the Droid's stock email program.)

[Jag]

Our IT guys all have Droids, so they set me up with our Exchange. I use the stock email app. My boss uses Touchdown.

[ROTC1983]

Thinking of getting one of these or a mytouch 3g. Since the mt3g is Android too, will it run the same apps as the Nexus One? Anyone have a MT3g that can chime in?

/derail off

I would highly recommend getting the Nexus One versus the mt3g.  The hardware and the software on that handset are a million times better than what the mt3g has. 

[Bullwinkle]

Here's Quake 3 running on the Droid.

[lildrgn]

I met a dude who works for Tmobile last night. He whipped out his N1 and I chatted him up. I got to try out Swype and hold the phone.

What a cool device!

I'd be scared of dropping it, but my want factor just increased quite a bit.

[Meisterbrew]

Wavesecure Beta... Its free until the beta's up (i think march 1'st) and its an excelent app..


Btw, once you download it its free for lifetime.


Oh yea, streamfurious works like a charm, plays those pls like in winamp but on the droid!

[corruptrelic]

I love my Droid. Just spent a week in Colorado skiing with it and it passed the abuse test. GPS and phone worked out in the deep woods and wowed my group when I whipped out Google Sky to identify the stars.

My only purchases so far are Beautiful Widgets



and Robo Defense



My favorite app by far is PDAnet. Free tethering on my laptop so i can play WoW anywhere. (including work with a keyboard switch b/t my laptop and work PC)

Google Goggles wins the 'cool' factor and is the app i use to destroy iPhone fanbois

For gaming, check out this video of 50 Droid games in one video:
http://androidhd.blogspot.com/2010/01/50-android-games-in-one-video.html

+1 on PDAnet. I'm actually using it right now with my Sprint Samsung Moment tethered to my laptop. PDAnet makes it look like the data being used while tethered is all on the phone itself - and since most Android data plans are unlimited, you get free unlimited tethering.
Definitely best $24 I've spent on an app yet.